The Stanford Prison Study/Experiment was an experiment that was conducted on August 14th, 1971. This experiment was a voluntary experiment for college male students that was set to be a prison environment. The study paid $15 an hour. An ad was placed in the newspaper for a prison experiment and 24 healthy, normal, middle class men were chosen to participate in either being a prison guard or prisoner in a "fake prison". This experiment was set up by Professor Philip Zimbardo, he wanted to see how people would go through psychological changes trying to adapt to this experiment of being a prison guard or prisoner.
The experiment was set out to last 2 weeks but due to the psychological effects it was 6 days long. Those 6 days seem short if you thought the experiment was pleasant but instead it was 6 long gruesome days for the prisoners. The guards were told they couldn't hit prisoners but can have them feeling powerless and basically verbally abuse them. At first the guards didn't have any authority and the prisoners rebelled but then soon enough the guards were taking control and this experiment ended up getting way too realistic. Everyone in the prison ended up thinking it was reality and that they really were in a prison.
Carl Prescott was one of the men chosen to be an expert for the experiment he had been 17 years behind bars and was a parol officer for the experiment. He himself started to psychologically believe he was a parol officer and he started acting like the parol officers he dealt with in prison that were cruel and didn't allow bail or any privileges. Guards began punishing prisoners, and the prisoners felt totally helpless. Prisoner 416 went on a hunger strike, 4 of the prisoners broke down and left and even outsiders played into the role making it seem more realistic, parents, priest and the public defender all played into the role.
The experiment had gone too far even the Professor himself got lost in the reality of it that he forgot it was an experiment aswell. He believed himself that he was apart of this "Prison Enviornment". The experiment definitely taught everyone something about themselves and how real everything seemed. I believe myself that it went too far and if I was put in that position I would believe it was real too because thats how they made it seem.
I agree, I feel like if I was in that situation I would of done the same thing...assumed the role as the prison guard or the prisoner. Who knows how far I would take it. I thought it was interesting how we think of ourselves in that position as well and know that we will have the same outcome.
ReplyDelete